greengeco82
Reefer
Still tagging along. Stand is coming along nice. Slow and steady.
DivingTheWorld's Custom Leemar 80g Rimless Reef
- Thread starter DivingTheWorld
- Start date
DivingTheWorld
Active member
Well, slow and steady it is. With the weather and other stuff going on I haven't got a lot done. I had a problem with one door and had to get that replaced/repainted, etc. Then I've been experimenting with finishes and top coats. Here's a pic of doors I took last night. The doors have been finished and this was the 3rd coat of polyurethane. If you see some white in the seams that's just the urethane still a little wet. The door look darker in reality, the flash made them look a little lighter. But you can get an idea of where this is going.
Last edited:
DivingTheWorld
Active member
Thanks. The hardest part is getting the polyurethane finish right. I did 5 coats total. Now I need it to harden for about a week, then I plan to try to "rub it out". This is all new to me. It's my first attempt at woodworking, staining, etc. So far so good though.
DivingTheWorld
Active member
Thanks. I used Rustoleum boat paint. I ordered it from Home Depot.
DivingTheWorld
Active member
Well life gets busy and this project is never ending! My grandmother passed away, illness then spread through the household, then we had like 2 weeks of rain. I must say, I was very happy to see some rain.
Anyways, I'm finally back working on the project. So last weekend I finished up the fill and sanding on the stand:
On Sunday night I stained it:
I swear the trickiest part of this whole project is getting the polyurethane finish right. I tried spraying on, but that left bubbles in the finish (that was months ago and maybe too cold?). Then I tried brushing it on, which worked well, but left some streaks in the finish. Then I even tried "rubbing out" the finish on one of the doors and then applying a Minwax "Wax" finish. That turned out terrible and I ended up sanding all that off.
New plan is to do several coats brushed on, then "rubbed out", then one final coat of spray. And I plan to spray when it's warm out. We'll see how that turns out!
Anyways, I'm finally back working on the project. So last weekend I finished up the fill and sanding on the stand:
On Sunday night I stained it:
I swear the trickiest part of this whole project is getting the polyurethane finish right. I tried spraying on, but that left bubbles in the finish (that was months ago and maybe too cold?). Then I tried brushing it on, which worked well, but left some streaks in the finish. Then I even tried "rubbing out" the finish on one of the doors and then applying a Minwax "Wax" finish. That turned out terrible and I ended up sanding all that off.
New plan is to do several coats brushed on, then "rubbed out", then one final coat of spray. And I plan to spray when it's warm out. We'll see how that turns out!
Last edited:
stand is coming along nicely,finishes always annoyed me I'm never satisfied with my results with stain and poly, poly usually gets bubbles if its shaken, or if you have some water in your spray lines as all compressors build up humidity you can get fish eye's.
If you want a nice glossy finish you have to treat it like a car's clear coat , after you are satisfied with your brushed or sprayed on poly, let it cure for like a week. hit it with 1000 grit or better wet sand to remove imperfections then use a rubbing compound like 3m to buff it out followed by a 3m polish/wax and it will shine like crazy.
thing with clear coat and polyurethane finishes is they act as a magnifier if you have a blotchy surface under it will only make this worse. I know the idea is to keep the wood grain but maybe an automotive grade sealer followed by some automotive grade paint would do the trick.
If you want a nice glossy finish you have to treat it like a car's clear coat , after you are satisfied with your brushed or sprayed on poly, let it cure for like a week. hit it with 1000 grit or better wet sand to remove imperfections then use a rubbing compound like 3m to buff it out followed by a 3m polish/wax and it will shine like crazy.
thing with clear coat and polyurethane finishes is they act as a magnifier if you have a blotchy surface under it will only make this worse. I know the idea is to keep the wood grain but maybe an automotive grade sealer followed by some automotive grade paint would do the trick.
DivingTheWorld
Active member
I could definitely paint it, but that would defeat the months of work getting a nice stained finish. Not to mention the expense of the Alder I skinned it in. I'm hoping for a satin finish when all is said and done.
if its a satin poly, they have a sheen reducer that usually settles to the bottom, keep your can upside down with the top secured so when you are ready to use just flip it and give it a little stir so you don't get air bubbles. your going to want to do 2-3 coats ,try a foam brush I found they tend to leave less streaks for satin finishes , let the first coat cure for a day, wet sand any imperfections , clean the surface let it dry and hit it with your final coat. you can't rub or buff out a satin finish.
DivingTheWorld
Active member
Yep, I think my problem was trying to rub it out. Darn utube! I think one issue I had with the spraying was that I was trying to do it when it was cold out. I'm going to try again in warm weather (like what we have now) and see if my results are any better. Worst case, I can just sand and brush again.
DivingTheWorld
Active member
Ok, here's some updated stand pics. The main part of the stand is complete. I added some final clear caulking between the frame and the stained Alder skin. I'm getting close on the doors. I think I've figured out a combination of using a foam brush as well as keeping the door vertical while painting... I hope to have the doors complete next week.
There isn't much I can do about waterproofing the door hinges, but I plan to replace the hinge screws with stainless steel ones. At least the screws won't rust.
There isn't much I can do about waterproofing the door hinges, but I plan to replace the hinge screws with stainless steel ones. At least the screws won't rust.
Last edited:
Dapg8gt
New member
Stand is looking great.. Never had luck getting show quality finishes so that's why I painted mine matte black lol.
What I did for the hinges is taped them off and sprayed a clear coat over them.. It's only been about 6 months but no rust yet although I used stainless hinges =). After I did it I also coated the pin in WD.
What I did for the hinges is taped them off and sprayed a clear coat over them.. It's only been about 6 months but no rust yet although I used stainless hinges =). After I did it I also coated the pin in WD.
DivingTheWorld
Active member
That's a good idea. I might have to try that.
DivingTheWorld
Active member
I just watched the demo on Never Wet. Super cool.
DivingTheWorld
Active member
You are definitely the most patient guy I have ever seen! Stand is looking great btw. Perhaps patience pays off.
Actually, that would be my wife. She's been parking in the driveway for the past few months while I've been working on this thing.
Maximus
Active member
Actually, that would be my wife. She's been parking in the driveway for the past few months while I've been working on this thing.
LOL! My wife can sympathize with yours!
Similar threads
